Although awareness of the importance of addressing malnutrition in Canadian hospitals has been improving, moving forward with sustainable improvements continues to be a challenge. This presentation will share the journey Alberta Health Services (AHS) has taken to address malnutrition and advocate for changes. The Nutrition Services team at AHS has been working towards implementation of the Integrated Nutrition Pathways for Acute Care (INPAC) for both adults and pediatrics. Facilitators for successful implementation have included leadership and multidisciplinary team support, care processes built into standard workflow, and documentation systems designed to capture and report on care. Nutrition Services leaders and dietitians have collaborated to drive change. The provincial teams have led activities to support local implementation. An initiative for a provincial electronic medical record was leveraged to build in processes to address malnutrition as part of standard workflow and to create opportunities for data capture and reporting. The understanding of malnutrition by non-nutrition professionals and their perceived role in helping to address it will be shared. Finally, the importance of dietitians working closely with patient food services to meet patients’ needs will be highlighted. Objectives include: 1) Learn about key facilitators for implementing changes to address malnutrition; 2) Understand the importance of data to drive continuous improvement; and 3) Generate ideas on how to advocate for changes in your hospital.
Carlota Basualdo-Hammond is a Registered Dietitian with 25 years in leading dietetic practice. She completed a Master of Science in Nutrition and Metabolism (1996) and Master of Public Health (2003) in Health Management and Policy. Since 2011, she has been the Executive Director, Nutrition Services, Provincial Strategy Standards of Practice, Alberta Health Services. Her area is responsible for guidelines, education resources, professional education, provincial initiatives, and research/evaluation. She applies evidence informed strategies and champions change to improve patient’s nutritional outcomes across the continuum of care. She works collaboratively within Nutrition and Food Services to address malnutrition and improve patient outcomes. She is also currently the co-chair of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force Advisory Committee.